When I grow up...

When I was little I wanted to be an author. From the age of about five to twelve ,I filled countless notebooks and word documents with stories about witches and and fairy tale lands, and when I was seven I sometimes used to make up a story in my head on the way to school  to entertain myself. When I got to comprehensive school, I remember changing my mind and wanting to open a cafe and sell art work off the walls, and use my gramps gravy reciepe (is it me or does no one do a cooked dinner like your grandad can make it?) in the cafe. When I got to my GCSE & A levels and it really was time to grow up and decide what you wanted to do I decided I wanted to be a journalist.  I liked writing, I was good at english so it made sense to me.

I got in to uni, was there for a week hated pretty much everything about the course and have been working in retail ever since.

It all seemed so simple when I was little :)
But now I really am all grown up...What is that really I want to do???

Sometimes I wish that I had been more interested in fashion and art & design when I was in school and the I could have gone on and studied one of those courses in uni...but I wasn't. It was only really when I started working and had money to buy clothes and jewellery for myself that I started becoming more interested, and  I wonder would I have been so if I had not worked in retail and had some disposable income to spend on clothes and things? Probably not as much.

I know I could still go to uni now theoretically and study something fashion related but at 23 as most of my friends are starting to go in to full time jobs and look seriously at moving out, the thought of graduating at 26 with a £30, 000 debt isn't that appealing. I know you have to look at the bigger picture sometimes, but that thought scares me. And with the recession at the moment the last thing I want to do is go through all that and then end up not being able to get a job in that field and be back doing the same kind of job I am doing now but £30 000 worse off.

As I was thinking about all this I happened to read this months issue of Company magazine. They have a pretty big spread on careers this month and they had a feature 'Now I'm grown up I want to be a ...' Which then went on to list 20 'dream jobs' that their readers had picked and some advice on how to get in to each of the industries by someone who already worked in them.
I loved this article particularly when I read about theses five career choices:

Jewellery designer

 

'How I did it: I studied jewellery design at central saint martins and started selling work to friends. I then interned in New York. In 2009 I set up Daisy Knights

Get my job: Be an intern for a jewellery designer-I'm looking for one!'

errm...yes please. lol

This would be my ideal job :) If I had a massive light airy studio full of gorgeous materials and sparkly things to make jewellery with. Heaven :) I am actually starting my own jewellery business but its very much something thats mine that I love to do on the side of a job that the source of my main income. (unless I become very famous ;))

 

Boutique owner
'How I did it: I'd been an assistant shop manager but started my own jewellery website in 2004. In 2010 I had enough money to open my own shop!
Get my job: Working on the high street taught me shop keeping skills'


I would love this job as well :) If I had a boutique I think I would fill it full of gorgeous jewellery and accessories and perhaps some items of clothing. I'd have fairy lights strung everywhere, vintage wallpaper,  little white wooden chairs heaped with floral cushions to sit on, and huge ornate mirrors so you could see what things looked like on.

Fashion stylist

'How I did it: In 2004 I took a six week fashion styling evening course at the London College of Fashion then got an internship in GQ mag's fashion cupboard. They offered me a job stylist assistant. I started free lancing in 2006.

Get my job: An evening course can help you get qualified without having to give up your job.'

Ideally, I know you would really need to live in a busy city like London for a job like this (and I'm a home girl at heart) but if I did I would love to work for a fashion magazine calling in clothes and styling models for shoots.

(and sneakily trying some of the shoes on when no ones looking)

Fashion Buyer

'How I did it: I worked on shop floors in high street stores, took an international fashion course at university of Manchester the applied for a Buyer's clerk job at River Island.
Get my job: Get to know your customers, its all about giving them what they want

I read on one girls blogs once (can't remember whos) and she mentioned that she'd worked in the accessorize head offices as a buyer/merchandiser.
*sigh* yes please :)

Fashion designer
How I did it: I took a BTECT National Diploma in art and design then studied fashion and textils. My first job was a design assistant at John Richmond. It took another few years working for other brands before I got the job at Topshop.
Get my job: With a fashion degree and work experience

This would be a great job although very hard work. It so talented to be able to make clothes, I wish this was an ability I possessed!

I'm glad that I read this article its made me feel more
 inspired and determined to get a job that I really love

love and kisses

x x x x